Pick 4 play at Belmont for May 8

May 8th, 2021

A pair of graded races help make up the late Pick 4 at Belmont Park on Saturday. And with a pair of interesting grass races for fillies serving as the bookends to the sequence, I feel that the wager is enticing and could be hit with a reasonable investment. The initial two legs are where my prices will come from, I believe.

Race 8 -- Maiden Special Weight

Maiden fillies will travel 1 1/16 miles on the green in the first leg. Both of the Chad Brown trainees, #5 In Italian (5-2) and #7 Infinite Potential (9-2), have to be on the ticket in my opinion, as well as a few other contenders in a tough opener.

#2 Traffic Song (12-1), #8 Palamos (3-1) and #9 Flaming Rouge (8-1) will also make the cut.

Race 9 -- Peter Pan S. (G3)

My top pick was going to be #6 Risk Taking (7-5) for Brown, but the Grade 3 winner is reportedly going to be scratched and point towards the Preakness S. (G1) on May 15. And with little separation in the remaining five-horse field, I will click the ‘all’ button in the second leg.

Race 10 -- Man o’ War S. (G1)

Grade 1 victor #8 Gufo (2-1) makes his seasonal bow and looms large for Clement. The consistently good son of Declaration of War has never run 1 3/8 miles, but obviously likes the surface having aced his test at 10 furlongs in the Belmont Derby (G1) last year. The four-year-old will be tough to deny late with Rosario in the silks.

I also think that Bill Mott’s #3 Ziyad (6-1) has a solid chance and presents good value in the event. The Euro import has given a fine account of himself in two tries on U.S. sod, and even slight improvement will make him a logical win contender under Manny Franco.

Race 11 -- Maiden Special Weight

My single comes in the finale with Shug McGaughey’s #9 Final Draft (3-1). The gray daughter of Curlin has shown fine late energy in each of her pair of outings this season, and the Ontario-bred seems poised to graduate in a winnable race with fine grass pilot Jose Ortiz taking the reins.

Wager

  • 50-cent Pick 4: 2,5,7,8,9 with all with 3,8 with 9 ($25)

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